Monday, July 9, 2012

Keep your eyes open.......

Good Monday everyone! Over the last few weeks I have run across some pretty low down characters. Some that have taken advantage of someone that was very ill. One person that is coming in between a husband and a wife. Whispering in one of their ears "You can do better than that person." So much negativity. So much evil. So much darkness. It breaks my heart. Then all of the sudden, a ray of hope cuts through those dark storm clouds. I had a young lady come to me last night with a humble but, burdened heart. She told me of a family that was in desperate need of a window air conditioner. She told me that one of the family members is extreme ill and their house is extremely hot. I sat back and listened to this young lady pour her heart out and it made my heart smile. See, this young lady grew up at my house and was a good friend of my little sister. So, to hear her and see her have so much compassion. My heart smiles now while I type this. Let's look at Gods' Word and see what is says.....

Bible Verse: Matthew 25:40  ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Here's the deal, if you keep your eyes open and are willing to step up. God will place people in your path that are in desperate need of a little help. Now, you have a choice. To help or not to help. It is not always about money. Sometimes it is your time or maybe your prayers. Who knows maybe they just need someone to talk too. Someone who won't try to put on their Mr. fix it hat.

So, this young lady is pouring her heart out and my heart is smiling from ear to ear. I have seen this young lady transform before my very eyes. She loves the Lord and will serve Him at all cost. I thought a lot about that last night when I got home. I laid in bed for 3 hours not able to go to sleep. My mind racing 100 mph, thoughts zipping through my brain. Thoughts of how huge our God is. Thoughts of how He wants to use us in such a big way. Thoughts of how we have our own plans and that's the one we are going to follow. We are more concerned with what makes us happy and if it fits into Gods' plan then cool! Have you ever sat back and asked God what His will was for you? Here's the thing, all He wants is our obedience.

My question for you today is. Do you help others? Do you help other if it causes you to sacrifice? Do you look for other to help? Are you ever watchful of who the Holy Spirit places in your life? Most people will help if it is convenient but, if it starts getting hard or maybe expensive. They punch out or bail out. Then, there are those that make me smile this morning. I put out on facebook and my email list about the need of a air conditioner. I am receiving replies as I type. God is still in the miracle business. He is still using people in a huge way. We just have to be willing to let Him use us. Are you willing? Let's be about our Fathers' business! Have a great day and God bless.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Let the Word come alive.......


Good Friday everyone! Well, the weekend is here. We had a rough last couple of days at our house. My labrador retriever "Lua" passed away on the 4th. She had lived a good life, a good dog life. The kids were pretty upset but, after a long talk with Joslyn. It was much better. Joslyn laid in bed with Misty and I and we talked for over an hour about death, heaven, and the Bible. I am so proud of this cool little girl that has been listening everytime I preach. She remembers sermons and wants to know where it says certain things in the Bible. She will keep you on your toes. That brings me to today's Bible verse. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it shows us.........

Bible Verse: 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Why is it that sometimes when we read the Bible, we leave our common sense at the door? You don't just pick up a book, open it at random, and start reading in the middle of a paragraph. The book wouldn't make any sense! In order for you to understand and get the full appreciation of the book, we have to read it some sort of order. I am not saying you must start in the Old Testament and read through the New Testament. Maybe start in Mathew and read the whole book. They even have in the back of some of your Bibles a chart to read the whole Bible in one year. I am currently dissecting Romans. Oh, what a powerful book!

When we read the Bible, we should read for quality not quantity. Don't see how much of the Bible you can read. See how much of the Bible you can soak in and apply! Maybe what you need to do is spend a week studying one verse. I have been doing that and the Bible has come alive! Really! It is growing before my very eyes. Do you pray before you start studying for God to show you what He wants you to learn? How about we do this. In your Bible reading today, stop and ask yourself, "What is God telling ME?" Not "What does this say?" But "What is God saying to me?" Then seek to put that into action today. Don't just say "That's a good idea." Do it! I pray you have a great day. God bless.



Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Independence from the world......

Good independence day!!!! I was listening to numerous people yesterday about what their plans were, where they were going, who they were doing it with, and if they were going to watch fireworks somewhere. I really wanted to ask seemingly silly question. What are we celebrating? Independence Day? Independence from what? From whom? It seems that a big majority of our citizens, don't really know. Maybe I should say, they are real sure. Today, I am going to take a different approach to Independence Day. I am not going to talk about our countries independence but, our independence or maybe I should say our dependence day. The day we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We became independent but yet, we should be dependent. We don't need the world to have it's grip on us. We need to let Jesus transform us and shape us. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it shows us......... 

Bible Verse: John 20:31 "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name."

I really think one of our biggest problems is we try to be too independent. We don't allow Jesus freedom in our lives to transform us. Sort of like when Jesus turned water into wine. He transformed something into something much better. He can transform your home, your life, your family, and your future the same way. This same miracle working Jesus is still in the miracle working business. His business is the business of transformation through justification and sanctification! We can be made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ and be set apart for God's use! Allowing the Holy Spirit to mold and shape. To transform!!!!  

I promise when we believe that Jesus is the Christ, we will receive life through His name. Someone once said that nature forms us, sin deforms us, prisons reform us, schools informs us, the world conforms us, but only Jesus transforms us. Are you allowing Him to transform you? What are you asking Christ for today? A miracle? Maybe for more of Him? Your very next breath is a miracle. God doesn't have to take it away. He just has to stop giving it. Let's thank God for the life He has given us today. For our independence from the world. Have a great day and God bless.


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

HE IS..............


Good Tuesday everyone! Is your week going by Ok? Is it going great or falling apart? Maybe, it is just a normal week to you. What does that mean? Normal? I am going to tell you a story and I know I will have some skeptics among you. Last night, I was lying in bed and really struggling with a situation. I was attempting to read my new book "The Jersey Effect" by Hunter Smith. As I laid there reading I could hear a song softly playing in the house somewhere. I couldn't hear every word just parts of it. I just assumed that Misty or one of the kids had left something on. I got out of bed and started to try to track the soft music playing down. Alarm clock? No. Joslyn's room? No. Luke's room? No. I would stop after every room and I still heard it. So, I went down stairs and looked everywhere. You guessed it, negative for downstairs too! Came back upstairs and Misty was sitting up in bed and I told her about it. She listened hard but, heard nothing. I was very confused. I went through the house again. I heard it faintly in every room but, couldn't find it. If you are thinking I am losing my mind just wait a bit. When I came back to the bedroom and told misty more of what I could hear of the song. She looked up the song on her phone and then read the words aloud. Before she was to the end, tears flowed from my eyes. This song was my situation. This song that my bride couldn't hear. This song that I couldn't find the source of. I know you might be thinking that I am crazy right? The only thing I knew to do was fall on my knees beside my bed and pray. My beautiful wife joined me and tears continued to flow. I have no doubt my God is my "I AM!" He is there in our time of need. Sometimes speaking to us in different ways. I have no doubt that we just don't listen sometimes. Let's dig into some of the good stuff......

Bible Verse: Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

I asked some youth the other day "Who are you?" I said "If you had to say "I am _____" What would you say? They always had something to add. But, have you ever noticed that the title God chose to describe Himself is an incomplete sentence? Check this out, most people would finish that sentence, "I am... [something]." But not my Lord. He purposefully did not complete the sentence "I AM." He is! Are you hungry? He is the bread. Are you in the dark? He is the light. Are you searching? He is the truth. Are you lost? He is the way. Are you in need? He is your Shepherd. Are you injured? He is your doctor. He just is what you need. So, my question to you today is. What are you looking to God for today? Or, are you just on your own? Listen, it doesn't work on your own. I know. Let's trust Him right now to meet you right where you are. Have a great day and God bless.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Dissecting God's Word........

Good morning everyone. Been a rough few days for this ole' boy but, praising Him for all he has blessed me with. I will ask for your prayers though. Hurt my back and might have a disc issue. I have an MRI scheduled and pray it is just muscular. Well, I want to talk to you a little bit today about this awesome book in the Bible called Romans. So, let's dig into some of the good stuff.

Bible Verse: Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.

The book of Romans will challenge you and show so much if you study it and dissect God's Word. It presents some great doctrinal truths such as justification, sanctification, adoption, judgment, and identification with Christ. First, let's look at justification. It's God's action of declaring that sinners are made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. God forgives their sins and becomes their friend. God gives you the power to live right but, you must choose. Justification is possible because Jesus died to take our punishment for our sins. Next, there is sanctification. It means you to be set apart for God's use. Christian sanctification is an ongoing process. The Holy Spirit moves in and helps you become more and more like Jesus but, again you must work at it too! Third, we have adoption. Know this as a believer, you don't need to be a slave to the fear of death and final punishment. When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you were adopted! You are a child of the King. You can come before Him without fear. Fourth, is judgment. In the New Testament, judgment can mean to criticize or disapprove of someone. But wait, the Bible says the Christians are not to criticize one another. So, I guess you don't do that do ya. Judgment can also mean in the end God will judge sin, and reward those people who have lived for Him. Last, but not the least is identification with Christ. How do you identify with Christ? Wearing a Christian t-shirt, cross around your neck, carrying your Bible, going to church, praying at lunch for your food. How do people know you are a Christian? Do they know? What sets you apart from anyone else. I know these are hard questions but, we should ask ourselves them constantly.

I want to talk about someone who was set apart, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, a man called to be a apostle, separated to the gospel of God. His name is Paul. He wrote 13 of the 21 epistles or letters in the New Testament. But, I want us to go back a few years before all that and look at who he was. See, Paul was born Saul of Tarsus and was taught as a boy by Gamaliel, the great teacher of the Pharisees. Just like all Hebrew boys he was taught a trade. He was a tent maker. Now, I want to skip ahead a few years. Saul was in Jerusalem and was present at the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54). So, what was he doing there? Did he cast a stone? No, but he did take care of the coats of those who did. Saul, was a persecutor of Christians and he went on to kill many and imprison many. Then all of the sudden on the road to Damascus to persecute more Christians he ran smack dab into Jesus. I am not going to tell the whole story but, I wanted to give you a set up to today's verse.

So, Romans 1:1 let's dissect it and see what it shows us. Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ. A bondservant or "Doulos" in Hebrew was a common word in the New Testament for servant. Now, the word servant is used 464 times, servants is used 515 times, and serve is used 204 times in the Bible. That 1183 times, do you think it is important? Paul raises the word in the Hebrew sense to show it as a servant who willingly commits himself to serve a master he loves and respects. Basically, it's pretty important to him.

Next, it says "called to be a apostle." A apostle is a person chosen and sent out as a messenger. In the New Testament it usually referred to the 12 men Jesus chose to be His special disciples. Some other leaders in the early church were also called apostles. My question to you today is. can you be an apostle? A messenger of the good news of Jesus Christ.

The last part of the verse says "separated to the gospel of God." Hey, the gospel of God is a message that God will forgive sins, deliver us from the power sin has on us and give us eternal hope. Some of you today might need to hear that if you read this far and didn't throw in the towel because this devo is a little long. This is not just an empty offer. It is the real deal and you can take it to the bank. I pray that this was as helpful and fun to read as it was for me to study. Exposing God's Word! Let's study to show ourselves approved! Have a great day and God bless.